Filet of Beef in Port Garlic Sauce

Filet of Beef in Port Garlic Sauce Submitted by Chris Green

Makes 4 servings – sorry, no photograph

Signature dish from Café des Amis, Portland, Oregon

When the owner/chef of Café des Amis retired, he posted his most popular recipe in the newspaper. Boy am I glad he did. This is one of our family’s favorites. For a Christmas dinner, I put an entire tenderloin roast on the rotisserie and make the sauce on the side.

1 tbls. unsalted butter

2 tbls. sliced garlic

2 ¼ cups Ruby Port (Sandman Reserve or Presidente work very well)

1 ½ cups veal stock (if not available, use beef stock, or a combination of beef and chicken stocks)

½ cup seasoned consommé (see note)

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 to 2 tsp. olive or vegetable oil

4 6 - 7 ounce beef tenderloin steaks

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic, cover and sweat until garlic is tender (do not brown)

When the garlic is tender, raise the heat to high and add the Port, veal stock and consommé. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup (about 30 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce and keep warm while cooking the steaks.

Season steaks with salt and pepper 30 minutes before cooking. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to barely film the pan. Add the steaks and cook to desired degree of doneness, turning once (about 4 to 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, for medium-rare). Add ¼ cup of sauce to the pan and turn the steaks to coat.

Serve the steaks on heated plates, topping each with 3 tablespoons of sauce.